Direct answer

How much does a business advisor cost?

Private business advisory pricing varies widely. Stan Tscherenkow's tiers: Tier 01 Outside Read: Monthly at $2,500/month recurring (enroll directly via Stripe; cancel with 30-day notice) for owner-led businesses carrying problems that cut across functions. Tier 02 Principal Circle from $4,500/month with three-month minimum for two reads per month plus async between. Tier 03 Operating Partner by application for principal-to-principal work on multi-party transitions.

Tier 01 is structured to close one decision. Single read, written output, follow-up call. From $2,500. Suitable when one specific consequential decision is open and the operator wants an outside structural read before acting.

Tier 02 is structured for principals carrying recurring decisions. Monthly read, on-call between, written summaries. From $4,500 per month with a three-month minimum. Suitable for capital events, governance work, leadership transitions.

Tier 03 is structured for transitions involving multiple principals: co-founder removal, succession, exit negotiation, family-business restructure. Scope is set in the first conversation. Application-only. Engagement length is matched to the transition.